Apparatus for covering horses&#39; eyes.



No. 735,924. PATENTED AUG. 11,1903. 0. A. P. VON WINKLER. APPARATUS FORCOVERING HORSES EYES.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 28, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES:

- 2A0 ATTORNEY,

UNITED STATES Patented August 11, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

APPARATUS FOR COVERING HORSES EYES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 735,924, dated August 11, 1903.

Application filed November 28, 1902. Serial No. 133,019. .(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL AUGUST PAUL VON WINKLER, a subject of theEmperor of Germany, residing at New York, in the county and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forCovering Horses Eyes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a device for covering horses eyes; and thepurpose andobject of the use thereof are to provide for the safety ofriders carried or passengers drawn by horses, especially by such as areknown or supposed to be fractious or restive when driven. Such horses attimes seriously imperil the physical safety and even the lives of ridersor passengers, and it is a well-known fact that such animals aregenerally of a quiet and gentle disposition and readily managed so longas they see no object which frightens them; but upon the appearance ofanything of unusual aspect they become terror-stricken and cannotbecontrolled, frequently running away or shying and throwing their ridersor the passengers in the vehicles drawn by said animals and alsobreaking said vehicles and the harness, besides maiming or killingthemselves.

It can be demonstrated that horses whose eyes are so covered that theycannot see before them may easily be managed and either brought to afull stop or be safely driven past any object, however frightful thelatter.

may be; but inasmuch as it is desirable that horses should be able touse their eyes under all normal conditions of travel I have made thisinvention, which will enable a rider or driver to either permitthe'ridden or driven horse to use his eyes under normal conditions orprevent him from doing so when he is frightened or under conditionswhich may cause him to become frightened.

A full and complete description and illustration of my invention will befound in this specification and in the drawings which accompany and formapart thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device in itsinoperative form. Fig. 2 is a similar view thereof when said device isin operation. Fig. 3 is a side elevaa chain 4.

tion of the device as shown in Fig. 2, and Fig.

4 is a front elevation of a constructive modification of the device.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are denoted by the same referencecharacters.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a framework, preferably made ofwire and of.

which at least the depending members 2 2 should be made of resilientmaterial. The members 2 are preferably formed integrally and helicallycoiled at their point of divergence, thus increasing their resiliency,and to the lower end of each is rigidly attached a plate 3, preferablyof a general circular form, to which are attached loops 3 3 and at theinner part of the periphery of the plate and near the lower partthereof. To the loops 3 is attached a flexible connection, preferablyThe plates 3 should be slightly out of alinement, but parallel one withanother and also parallel with a cross-bar 5, at each end of which aloop 5 is formed. The inner face of each plate 3 may be covered withcloth, felt, or other suitable material, and the edges of the latter maybe scalloped or nicked, as at 3. The cross-bar 5 should be attached, bymeans of the loops 5', to the front strap a of a headstall a or to someother suitable device which may be socured on a horses forehead.

On each cheek-strap a of the headstall a, a fair leader or ring 6 issuitably positioned, and the ends of a line or strap 7 respectively passtherethrough to each loop 3".

The operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understoodby those skilled in the art to which it appertains. The device beingsuitably attached to a headstall, as before mentioned, and the latterbeing secured to a horses head in the usual manner, the plates 3 willunder normal conditions remain in the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 4.,and the bight of the line 7 may be held by the rider or driver of thehorse. Should the horse become restive or frightened or should there beindications of 00- currences tending to frighten the horse, the drivermay pull the line '7, which will render, near each end thereof,respectively, through the fair-leaders 6 and cause the plates 3 toseparate as far as the chain 4 will permit, which will be suflicientlyto bring them respectively in front of the eyes of the horse, thuspreventing him from seeing any object which may otherwise frighten him,and he may either be driven with safety past such objects or stopped, asthe driver may deem best.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the details ofconstruction and arrangement as herein described and illustrated, as itis manifest that variations and modifications may be madein the featuresof construction and arrangement in the adaptation of the device tovarious conditions of use without departing from the spirit and scope ofmy invention and improvements.

I therefore reserve the right to all such variations and modificationsas properly fall within the scope of my invention and the terms of thefollowing claims.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A device for coveringhorses eyes, comprising a wire frame with depending springarms, platesfixed to the lower ends of said arms, and flexible means connecting saidplates and limiting the distance which they may be separated.

2. A device for covering horses eyes, comprising a wire frame with across-bar at its upper extremity,spring-arms depending from saidcrossbar, overlapping plates fixed at the lower ends of said arms, andflexible means secured to said plates for limiting the distance whichthey may be separated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of thesubscribing witnesses.

CARL AUGUST PAUL VON WINKLER.

Witnesses:

CHAS. H. DAVIDS, J. O. PYBAs.

